Lineage
by Suilebhan125
Summary: The story of Ignis, a fifteen year old teen thrown into a conflict over the rule of Skyrim, and will discover the truth held within the stories of her lineage, while overcoming the need to disguise her gender because of a traumatic event in her past. Eventual romance between Ulfric and Ignis. Please Review! -Rewrite in progress-
1. Prologue

_Hello, Suilebhan here. This story focuses on Ignis, a fifteen year old teen thrown into a conflict over the rule of Skyrim, and will discover the truth held within the stories of her lineage, while overcoming the need to disguise her gender because of a traumatic event in her past._

_****__Disclaimer: __I do not own the rights to Skyrim, or any of the characters that are part of the game. Those all belong to Bethsoft and Zenimax. I do, however, own Ignis, as she is my own creation. _

_**EDIT: **I have rewritten the prologue and first chapter, so, yeah, please reread them if you have read the old versions. ~ 21/3/13 _

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**Falkreath Hold, 15th of Rain's Hand, 197 4E.**

As the sun was descending slowly behind the mountains of the Reach, a young girl, about eleven years of age, awoke, coughing. She opened her eyes, but saw nothing. "You're blind," she heard an elderly woman say, approaching from behind her. "I did what I could, but there are somethings even I am not capable of doing." The woman told the girl, looking down at her. "I'm sorry, but you will have to learn to live without your natural sight. I can teach you what I know of the old magics, that the wise women once used to see after they lost their sight."

The teen girl nodded, struggling to stand. "You will have to work hard to recover, and to become strong enough to survive in this world." The woman stood still, not helping the recently blinded girl to her feet. "I shall allow you one month to recover your strength, then, if I deem you worthy, I shall train you." The elder informed the young girl. "Return here on the 15th of Second Seed, and I will view you worthy of receiving my lessons, young one. Now then, be gone." The woman hit her staff upon the floor twice, and the young girl was suddenly a short ways away from the town of Falkreath.

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For a month, the young girl trained, striving to survive as best as she could without her sight. She scrounged for food from the locals when she was unable to find herbs to sustain herself in the forest, and relied on a mostly plant diet, rarely eating meat, as she found herself reluctant to actually kill animals, when she was able to actually catch them. Occasionally, she would eat rabbit, but only if she found one already dead, likely killed by someone with little care for life. In the day time, she practiced the few magic spells she was taught by her mother as a child before the woman had passed during the girl's seventh winter. She would freeze a small pond a short distance away from the town, then melt it with fire, finishing up by jolting the water with electricity.

The girl recovered significantly from her burns, although she was still unable to see. Eventually, she started to come to terms with the fact that she would be unable to see, she just hoped that the woman in the forest would be able to teach her a new way to see. When the time came, the girl left into the forest, searching for the woman's sanctuary again. After some time, the girl came across a ruined structure hidden away within the woods, and entered, feeling a strange presence within. The found herself surrounded by natives who did not seem to like her intrusion into their land, but did not attack as a powerful presence entered the room. "That's enough, kinsmen. This girl has proven herself just by surviving, let alone finding this place. It would not be fair to harm her now, and it would likely be worse for you than for her." The woman addressed the Forsworn, who retreated deeper into the ruin. The elder turned to the girl. "So then, what was it that drove you to survive? What helped you strive to find me?"

"Fire." The girl replied. "The fire that burns within me. The fires that consumed my body and fill me now with anger, toward myself and my attackers."

"So then that shall be your name." The elder declared. "Ignis: fire in the old Colovian tongue, a fitting name for you. Come then, and learn the arts of my people." The woman beckoned the young girl to follow her into the ruin, and the whelp followed behind eagerly, desiring her training to happen as quick as possible.

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_So, I decided to make a different start for Ignis's story, because I don't want Ignis to go through the regular channels of becoming the Dragonborn, since it is somewhat to... formulaic. I am sort of sad that the prologue is really short now, but I can't really go into too much more detail without spoiling things that are going to be revealed later. Oh well... Please review, as I really feel as though I need the criticism for this (but please make it actual helpful criticism, not flaming)._


	2. Chapter 1 - First Sight

_Hello, Suilebhan here! This is the first Chapter of Lineage, the first part posted is just the prologue. I hope you enjoy this story, and find it a good read. _

**_Disclaimer: _**_I do not own the rights to Skyrim, or any of the characters that are part of the game. Those all belong to Bethsoft and Zenimax. I do, however, own Ignis, as she is my own creation. _

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**Ruins of Saarthal, Winterhold. 1st of Heartfire, 201 4e.**

"Interesting… I've never seen a place like this." Tolfdir commented as he accompanied Ignis deeper into the ruins. Suddenly, everything seemed to slow down for Ignis, and a presence appeared before the young teen.

"Hold, mage, and listen well..." The presence that appeared before Ignis insisted. "Know that you have set in motion a chain of events that cannot be stopped. Judgment has not been passed, as you had no way of knowing. Judgment will be passed on your actions to come, and how you deal with the dangers ahead of you. This warning is passed to you because the Psijic Order believes in you. You, mage, and you alone, have the potential to prevent disaster. Take great care, and know that the Order is watching." The presence disappeared, and everything seemed to return to normal. After a brief discussion with Tolfdir over what happened, they continued deeper into the ruins.

Eventually, they came to a door, behind which was a massive swell of magical energy. Tolfdir urged caution as they entered the room past the doorway, and Ignis felt discomfort as the air became filled with unusual magic energy. A Draugr rose from its place atop a table before a massive orb, brimming with magical energy. Ignis and Tolfdir attempted to attack the Draugr, which seemed to be unfazed by the magicians' attempts to harm it. Tolfdir hesitated for a moment, before asking Ignis to keep the Draugr's attention while he attempted to weaken it. Ignis launched a few ice spikes while fleeing from the Draugr, and the felt a shift in the magical presence the walking corpse had. Attacking hurriedly, the Draugr was thrown back, and the barrier around the orb dispersed.

"What is it?" Tolfdir wondered aloud, circling around the strange artifact that he had found with Ignis. He wrote down some of the symbols unsure what they could mean. "Hey stop, Ignis, don't touch it! Stop!" Ignis placed his hand upon the sphere, runes crawling up his arm. He let out a high pitched scream, clenching his eyes, falling to the ground. Tolfdir ran over to the boy, lifting him up and placing him down on the nearby stone table, pushing aside the staff that had been sitting there for centuries. "Ignis, are you okay?" Tolfdir sighed, worried about the boy, scooping him up into his arms. "Oh." Tolfdir stated, surprised about something as he lifted the whelp up. After following the exit passage, Tolfdir ended up in near the entrance. He ordered Arnel to guard the artifact while he took Ignis back to the college and informed Savos of the discovery.

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**College of Winterhold. 2nd of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

When Ignis awoke, he was in his bed at the college, Tolfdir sitting beside him, half asleep. He opened his sightless eyes slowly, to be met by something he had not experienced in four years. "I... I can..." Tears began running down his cheeks, and he embraced Tolfdir suddenly.

"What?! Ignis, what are you doing, lad?" Tolfdir exclaimed, surprised by the sudden action. Ignis let go of the old man, and looked up at him with eyes glittering with tears, but also something else. Ignis's once pale, empty irises were now a brilliant, almost glowing cyan, the same coloring as the marks on the artifact they had found in Saarthal.

"I... I can see!" Ignis told Tolfdir loudly, rubbing tears from his cheeks. His breath was rapid. He seemed to almost be going in to shock from the sheer surprise. Tolfdir put his hand on Ignis's shoulder, trying to calm his apprentice.

"Ignis, please restrain yourself. You aren't well at this time, and over exerting yourself could be dangerous." Tolfdir sternly told the boy, not angry, but in a more fatherly, concerned manner. He lowered his voice. "Be sure not to let Ancano find out about–"

"About what, exactly, Tolfdir?" The Altmer wizard asked, standing in the doorway. He approached Ignis's bed, and grabbed him under the chin, pulling the teen's face forward, inspecting his eyes carefully. Ignis shut his eyes tightly, trying not to think of Ancano, and Tolfdir stood up and pulled the Thalmor off of his apprentice.

"You are not welcome here at this time, Ancano, so leave." Tolfdir ordered, glaring at the Altmer. Ancano let out a smug laugh, as was his custom, and walked away. Tolfdir turned back to his apprentice, who seemed to be trying to hide in his sheets, sobbing quietly. "It's all right, Ignis, I won't let him hurt you." Ignis nodded slowly, cradling himself in his arms, his pupils extremely small, his eyes filled with terror.

* * *

Fire. Fire everywhere. Fire and blood. The building was collapsing around the girl. The men, they had set the inn on fire after they killed her father… after they… hurt her. They… did things to her. They made her father watch as she screamed, and then they killed him. Then there was fire. The building was falling down around her. The girl cried as she struggled to hold her father's corpse. The air exploded around her as she grabbed the amulet her father told her was the family's most important heirloom. Fire began to crawl up her back, and as the girl struggled to put it out, the roof fell in, and the flaming logs buried the girl.

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**College of Winterhold. 3rd of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

Ignis awoke suddenly, his scream muffled by the pillow he buried his head into. He stood slowly, still dressed in the robes he had been wearing for the past two days. Grabbing another set of robes, Ignis left the Hall of Attainment, then exiting the college and going to the coast below. Bathing briefly before the sun rose, Ignis's hand moved across his back, clenching his eyes shut in pain as he ran his fingers across the scars scattered across his back. Ignis stepped out of the cold water, and began dressing, first tightly wrapping bandages around his torso.

When Ignis returned to the college, the sun was just rising above the horizon, and the only person awake was Arniel, who was still busy at work with his Dwemer experiment. Ignis entered the Arcanaeium, sitting down at one of the seats and grabbing a book. Looking at the writing on the page, Ignis squinted, straining his eyes to make out the lettering. As soon as Ignis could make out the letters, he was able to understand the writing, it was just hard to get used to reading again.

"There you are, I've been looking for you." Ignis looked up to see Urag gro-Shub standing beside him, towering over the boy. "I need you to go looking for some books one of the previous apprentices made off with when he quit the college to join a group of conjurers in Fellglow Keep. One of the books he took might have something to do with that thing you found in Saarthal."

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**Palace of Kings, Windhelm. 6th of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

Ulfric grimaced a little at the bad news. At the same time the Whiterun had finally thrown its allegiance to the Empire, the Imperials had mounted another offensive on the Pale. The way things were going, he would have only three holds backing him. Not only that, but recently there were strange rumors of mysterious happenings like Psijic Monks being seen in Skyrim. Ulfric held his hand to his head, exhaling loudly. He looked at the axe he held in his other hand and frowned. Why had Balgruuf sided with the Empire? He always had believed he was a Nord at heart, not one to side with those damn Imperials. Perhaps it was his damn steward and his poisoned tongue. "Jarl Ulfric," a Stormcloak officer addressed Ulfric, "the troops are ready to move, sir." The officer saluted as Ulfric nodded, standing.

"Get going then," Ulfric ordered, "Galmar should be sending his soldiers to the camp in Whiterun as well." The Jarl informed the officer as he placed his fist to his chest in a salute. "I'll be going out to Whiterun myself in the morning to join to offensive, please tell Galmar before he attacks recklessly." Ulfric returned to the throne as the officer departed, and sighed loudly. Hopefully the battle would take place before the Imperials could reinforce the guards at Whiterun, and minimize casualties.

When the main hall was empty, Ulfric sighed loudly, rising from the throne and walking upstairs to his quarters, laying on his bed, facing the ceiling. He laid motionless for some time, then rolled over reluctantly to sleep as he heard someone approaching. Jorleif opened the door to Ulfric's quarters slowly, and noticed the Jarl apparently sleeping, and sighed, before leaving down the hall. Shifting back to face the ceiling again once his steward had left, Ulfric continued staring, his mind distraught, until he eventually feel asleep.

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**Whiterun Hold, 9th of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

Ulfric awoke slowly, feeling a sharp pain his his chest. He opened his eyes slowly, finding himself in a small house, the windows boarded up, some glass glittering on the floor, indicating they had likely been damaged during the battle. He heard floor boards creek in the room above, and Ulfric stood quickly, cringing in pain. It felt as though his chest had been torn apart. "Ahh~!" He heard an effeminate voice exclaimed, as an androgynous teen descended hastily from the floor above, running toward Ulfric and pushing him weakly toward the makeshift bed he had been lying atop. "Y-You need to l-lie down! Y-you haven't healed y-yet!" The whelp said somewhat meekly, looking at Ulfric from behind a layer of hair shielding his eyes. Ulfric sighed, returning to the so-called bed, somewhat annoyed.

"What happened to me?" He inquired in a somewhat demanding voice, facing away from the lad. "We were in the middle of battle and then everything just... I don't know. I guess it went black." The Jarl commented as he felt the gloved hands of the whelp run across his back, covered in some sort of salve. It was rather soothing, and Ulfric relaxed a little. It didn't seem as though this kid was interested in hurting him.

"D-During the battle, someone sh-shot you in the back with a poison-tipped arrow..." The young teen explained as he looked away, blushing somewhat. He knew that helping this man was the right thing to do, but it was rather flustering to rub the salve onto his back. "I-I'm amazed th-that you managed t-to survive... th-that poison w-was stronger th-than anything I've s-seen before..." The boy admitted, removing his gloved hands from the warrior's back. "I t-took you to this h-house to help you, since y-you were s-so hurt..." Ulfric tensed up a little suddenly after hearing what the lad had said. "I'm s-sorry if I've d-done something wrong..."

"Don't worry about it." Ulfric told the whelp, smiling a little, even though he couldn't see the boy. He was shocked, and rather worried, but he was still happy that the boy had been willing to take him in. "Are you a resident of Whiterun?" The Jarl inquired curiously as he watched the boy walk by and begin to tend to some stew that had been simmering. The boy shook his head slowly, scooping some stew into a bowl and returning to Ulfric.

"N-No," The boy told Ulfric, handing the stew to him. "A-As long as y-you don't move t-too much, feel free to s-sit up and eat..." The whelp commented nervously, returning to the pot of stew with a small wooden bowl. "I'm j-just a t-traveler... I w-was here when th-the fighting broke out..." The boy shyly admitted, looking away as he slowly began eating from the small bowl.

"Then you are very brave." Ulfric said, sitting up and looking toward the boy. "That you were willing to risk yourself during a battle to heal me. Thank you again. I must ask, though, who won?" He asked, eating the stew at a somewhat quick pace. "What's your name, lad?" He inquired afterwards.

"I'm n-not that brave..." The boy insisted. "Th-the Stormcloaks w-won, their g-general is in D-Dragonsreach." The whelp told Ulfric, who took a little notice as the boy mentioned the Stormcloaks' "general," who likely was Galmar. "M-My name? I-I'm Ignis..." The boy said quietly, admittedly a little nervous.

"Well, thank you for all your help, Ignis." Ulfric said, lying back down, surprisingly exhausted. "I guess I'm going to get a nap now..." He laughed a little as his eyes shut. He slept for a few hours, but awoke as a loud knocking echoed in the building. He heard the young boy's footsteps approach the door, and someone speaking forcefully.

"This is Justicar Andelcar, you are to open this door immediately and allow us to search the premises," The voice of an Altmer insisted forcefully. Ulfric turned on his side to face away from the door as he heard more banging on the door, and Ignis slowly opened the doorway. "It is believed that you are harboring Talos worshippers in this building, you are to allow us to search the area." Ulfric bit his lip a little, frustrated by the fact the Thalmor was ordering Ignis around as if he were still welcome. The Thalmor agent in question approached Ulfric, only stopping as he noticed a bronze box in the corner, lined with Dwemer letters. "That box, bring it here." The Thalmor demanded, pushing Ignis towards it.

Ignis grabbed the box, turning around and holding it out toward the Justicar. "C-Can you r-read what it s-says?" The whelp inquired innocently while opening the box, revealing a large bronze gauntlet for one's right hand, and a crystal dagger with an elaborate bronze hilt.

"You ask if I, one of the Thalmor, can read that? Of course I can, we are superior to your race!" The Justicar insisted, though in truth, he had no knowledge in Dwemer script. What he did know was that the strange dagger looked as though it could be very valuable. "Now then," he reached toward the dagger, wrapping his fingers around the hilt, "I'll be taking th–" In the middle of the sentence, the elf suddenly shuddered a little, and screamed, disappearing in a brilliant explosion of light. Ignis moved quickly as the Justicar's associates began to react. The whelp's hand launched forward, gripping the blade as it fell, Ignis then twisting his body to the side as one of the Thalmor lunged his blade forward, stumbling backward a little. Ignis kicked his leg upward, catching the elf in the crotch. As one peeled over in pain, the other found himself surrounded by Stormcloak soldiers.

"That's enough, Thalmor scum," a voice boomed as the elf felt a sharp pain, everything becoming black. As the Thalmor soldier fell forward, a large gash in his back where a battleaxe had cleaved deeply into his body, Ulfric smirked a bit. Galmar stepped into the building, his troops apprehending the last elf while the Stormcloak general approached Ulfric. "So while I've been busy keeping the peace, here you are laying about lazily." He exclaimed, patting Ulfric's back forcefully. As Ulfric winced painfully, Ignis rushed forward, futilely pushing Galmar away with all his strength, the large Nord looking at the whelp curiously as he stood unmoved.

"Y-You c-c-can't do th-that! He h-hasn't recovered y-yet!" Ignis insisted meekly, still pushing as hard as he he could. Galmar backed up a little, laughing as the whelp stumbled forward as he suddenly found himself pushing nothing. Ignis pouted as he straightened himself out. "M-my p-patient still needs m-more time to recover!"

"Your patient?" Galmar laughed loudly. He found it hard to believe that this whelp was actually able to help Ulfric at all. "Even if you are helping him, I find it hard to believe that it's going to take more than the three days it has!" Ulfric's eyes widened a little. He had been unconscious for three days?

"W-well it will! He m-might be able t-to move tomorrow, b-but there's still t-too much poison in his b-blood right now!" Ignis insisted furiously, glaring at Galmar behind his bangs. Galmar grunted loudly in frustration, and turned his back to the whelp.

"Fine. But we leave tomorrow morning."

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**Whiterun Hold, 10th of Heartfire, 201**** 4E.**

Ulfric winced a little as he sat up on the table-turned-cot. He hadn't been given detailed information about the poison, but from what he had picked up listening to Ignis, it was making it harder for his body to rejuvenate, even by magical means. Ulfric yawned loudly as he slowly stood up, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun as it rose on the horizon. Damn Galmar, insisting they leave so early. "A-are you f-feeling better?" He heard a nervous voice ask, approaching from above. Ignis was dressed in neat yellow and golden robes, those worn by members of the College of Winterhold, and a matching hood. The frail-bodied teen approached Ulfric nervously, from what the Jarl could tell, a worried look on his face. "H-How is y-your b-breathing? D-does your ch-chest hurt?" Ignis inquired meekly, Ulfric surprised by the boy's effeminate voice. He had known the boy was somewhat feminine, but he wasn't aware until now that Ignis looked so... Ulfric shook his head a little, trying to drift his thoughts back to those proper for one of his position.

"I'm fine, thank you." Ulfric told Ignis, smiling kindly toward the boy. He removed the cloth bed sheets still around his hip, and began to dress himself, causing the young boy to blush and turn away. Ulfric laughed a little at the boy's reaction, finding it somewhat cute that the teen seemed to innocent. "When do we need to leave?" Ulfric asked aloud as he finished putting on his jacket.

"We'll be leaving shortly, Ulfric," Galmar told him, entering the small building. "If we leave soon, we'll be able to get to Windhelm by dusk." The general explained, looking at Ignis with suspicion as the boy returned to the room with a small leather pack. "Sir," Galmar addressed Ulfric quietly, "should we really allow this whelp to accompany us to Windhelm? I don't trust him, he looks too Imperial. And he's a Mage, like those damn Thalmor."

"Quiet, Galmar." Ulfric ordered. "Ignis has helped me recover from my wounds, I see no reason why his company is such an affront to my safety. Just because he uses magic doesn't mean he is evil." The Jarl reprimanded his general. Galmar grunted reluctantly, turning away.

"Fine, let's just get going. I'm not interested in staying in this damn city any longer." Galmar requested, still somewhat reluctant to allow the boy's company. Ulfric nodded in agreement.

The trio left the city just after dawn, accompanied by several guards. They traveled as quickly as they could, only stopping to remove a few bandits that attempted to ambush the group. As the sun was setting behind the mountains in the west, they arrived in Windhelm. Ulfric and Galmar entered the city first, while Ignis wander near the bridge to the city, wanting to look for some alchemical ingredients native to the area. By the time Ignis entered the Palace of Kings, it was nearing midnight, and most of the guard was absent from the streets. Ulfric sat half-asleep on his throne, his head in his hand, not even aware at first that Ignis had entered the building. "Hmm?" He muttered quietly, looking up and spotting the young teen. "Oh, hello Ignis. I've been waiting for you." Upon hearing this, Ignis blushed lightly, unsure why Ulfric was being kind enough to wait for him. "Come, we should get to sleep. I'll show you to your bed. It's on the way to mine, anyways." Ulfric explained, justifying his actions a little, only to help further his insistence that he was just being polite to the boy for helping him when he was wounded.

The Jarl stood, and walked slowly over to the stairs leading up, and then showed Ignis to one of the beds on the upper floor of the palace, in the servants' rooms. He lazily waved good night to the boy as he left down the hallway approaching his own quarters, trying to shake the strange thoughts that kept drifting into his head when he wasn't thinking on the war. Ulfric laid down on his bed, shutting his eyes tightly, just wanting to sleep, and not have any dreams whatsoever.

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_Well, I managed to make the chapter a bit longer. Please review if you have any criticisms, complements or suggestions. If you're going to criticize, try to be civil and polite though. ^^" _


	3. Chapter 2 - Revealing the Unseen

Hello, Suilebhan here. This chapter took a bit longer than I planned it too when I wrote it. I like the outcome though, and I hope you will enjoy it as well. Read, enjoy, and feel free to review!

PS: to any who are concerned, I am aware of the age difference between Ulfric and Ignis. I hope it doesn't make anyone uncomfortable, if it does, sorry! ^^"

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**Palace of Kings, Windhelm. 11th of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

Ignis made his way down the stairs to the main hall of the Palace of Kings a little after ten in the morning, and was greeted with the sight of Ulfric at the Throne, the table of the hall covered with platters and bowls of food. "Ah, Ignis! I trust you would like some food?" He asked heartily, smiling briefly before returning to his own meal.

The short haired figure in the robes nodded vigorously, as if he was still a child. "Y-yes, sir! I-I mean J-Jarl!" The boy stuttered nervously, looking to the floor as he stayed in a bowing position.

"So, what is it, then?" Ulfric asked, looking at the boy humorously, almost tempted to laugh at his frightened demeanor, curious as to why he was hesitant to sit down.

"W-Well... I-I'm f-from th-the college... and, I, um, I a-am to report th-that we aren't a-able to send m-more healers t-to the r-rebellion..." The boy said nervously, afraid he would incur the Jarl's wrath. "H-however, th-the college is w-willing to provide t-training in th-the healing arts f-for those who are a-able to c-come."

Ulfric sighed, annoyed by the news, although not that surprised. He had known that the college had a meager amount of members, and only a few of them were learned in the ways of healing. "All right, boy, worry not, I shan't have you executed for bringing this news." Ulfric told the whelp before him, who looked up with teary eyes. "Return to your Arch Mage and tell him that I will see if there are any willing to train at the college. But first, eat a little food. It would be wrong to send the one who healed me away without at least a meal." Ulfric insisted.

After Ignis had left, Ulfric went to the war room and looked over the map, getting lost in his thoughts, and soon several hours had passed by. He was only drawn back from the war when Jorleif suddenly called his name. "Jarl Ulfric! I have good news." Ulfric looked up at his steward. Jorleif suddenly pulled the boy from the college out from behind him. "This child has caught the criminal who was responsible for the recent killings!"

"What?" Ulfric said, raising an eyebrow.

"It seems that man Calixto was killing women and using parts of them in some kind of Necromantic ritual. This boy heard him as he was in the midst of the ritual and stopped him." Jorleif explained to Ulfric.

"Hmm, that's good news... Perhaps moral will rise in the city now." Ulfric muttered half to himself. He looked at the whelp from the college. "Thank you, Ignis." Ulfric said to the boy, "you've done this city a great service. You can tell the Arch Mage that I will expect you as the envoy from the college from now on."

"Y-yes sir!" Ignis replied, nodding vigorously.

"Now then, I suppose there is matter of a reward... Jorleif, find this boy something better to wear. He should join us for dinner, so that we may celebrmomentous tremendous service he's done for the city."

As Ignis stepped into the main hall, Ulfric couldn't help but laugh a little. The boy's hair was messy and disheveled, covering his eyes, and his clothes were disorganized and badly matched. "What's wrong, lad, shy? You've dressed yourself as if you were blind."

Ignis looked down, ashamed, his hair parting for the briefest moment in front of his eyes. Ulfric immediately regretted his teasing. "Y-yes, sir... I am..." Ignis muttered, feelings as though he had done wrong somehow. His eyes provided some amount of sight, but Tolfdir insisted that he be careful to hide his gift from the view of others, and not allow them to know, it was bad enough that Ancano already knew, and so Tolfdir fashioned an Alteration spell that returned Ignis's eyes to the pale grey color they had once before. He felt Ulfric pat his back, and turned his head up, toward the Jarl.

"I'm sorry, I hadn't known." Ulfric said, hoping to comfort the boy. "Anyways, let's feast." He proclaimed, changing the subject. Today was one of the few times when Ulfric wasn't dining with any nobles, and felt somewhat relieved. As he ate, Ulfric was amazed by the ability that Ignis has in deducing what his surroundings were. He was able to tell the difference between the food platters and bowls, even when moved, and was able to eat neatly without creating any mess.

The dinner was fairly quick, compared to what Ulfric was accustomed to, likely due to the fact that Ignis only ate a small amount. "Lad, a growing boy such as yourself should eat more." Ulfric commented as he continued to eat. Ignis looked up, confused.

"I'm n-not feeling very hungry, th-that's all, sir..." Ignis muttered, again ashamed. He drunk a little from a jug of milk, facing downward a bit. "I... I should leave soon... I need to return to the College soon..." Ignis told Ulfric, not wanting to rely off of his hospitality any longer as he stood from the table. For the briefest moment, as Ulfric observed the boy rising from his seat, he saw scars running across his eyes, as if someone had purposely blinded him.

After the boy left, Ulfric sighed loudly, feeling rather guilty. Why did he have to make such a stupid comment about the boy's sight? True, he didn't realize the whelp was blind, but still… it was a poor choice of words. Ulfric retired to his chambers early, disinterested in contemplating the war again. He laid on his bed, displeased with current events. The war was still a brutal stalemate, and with the seeming return of the Dragons, his people found themselves with little defense because of the lack of guards in the cities. As he drifted to sleep, he was plagued with dreams of Helgen, as he had been each night for the past two weeks. The screams, the fire. The smell of smoldering flesh. Ulfric awoke some time before dawn, breathing erratically, unable to get the memories of Helgen from his mind.

* * *

**College of Winterhold, 12th of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

Ignis returned to the College just preceding dawn, and entered quietly, aiming to not awaken anyone. When the whelp entered the Hall of Elements, he was met with an unpleasant sight as Ancano stood waitin for him. "Come with me. Now." The Altmer ordered, leering at the boy. Ignis followed meekly as they walked to the Arch Mage's quarters, frightened by the Thalmor's hostility. "I would like to know why a man claiming to be a Psijic Monk, part of an order the has been gone for a century, and are staunch opponents of the Aldmeri Dominion, is here, looking for you." Ancano demanded as they entered Savos Aren's large room. Savos was waiting, along with an Altmer in robes designed in a way that Ignis had never seen before. "All right, he's here. Now you can talk, Monk, in front of all of us." Ancano ordered, glaring at the other Altmer.

Time began to slow, and the world around Ignis seemed to stop, aside from the Psijic Monk. "I would not be here if it were not urgent, and I only wish to speak with you." The Monk informed Ignis. "We have been unable to contact you with visions as we have before, as the artifact your people call the "Eye of Magnus" is somehow creating a barrier preventing it. I would not be here if the situation were not dire, but events are moving at an accelerated pace. Seek out the Augur of Dunlain, he will grant the knowledge you seek." Suddenly, everything began to return to normal, and the Psijic feigned confusion. "I'm sorry, there appears to have been some kind of mistake. I'm clearly not wanted here, so I shall leave. I do apologize." The monk said, beginning to walk away.

"Now hold on a moment! What is the meaning of this?!" Ancano shouted, furious, starting to chase after the monk, only to be stopped by Savos. The Arch Mage motioned to Ignis that he was dismissed, and the young adept hurried down the stairs to look for Tolfdir. Spotting the elderly wizard, Ignis approached him nervously, unsure how to inquire about the Augur of Dunlain. Noticing the young Mage meekly nearing, Tolfdir turned to him.

"Hmm? Ignis, what is it, lad?" Tolfdir inquired, smiling kindly as he turned away from the Eye of Magnus. "Is something wrong?"

"Um, I, w-well... I..." Ignis hesitated, unsure of what to say. He had heard of the Augur before, but it was forbidden to talk of it. "D-Do you know wh-where I c-can find the A-Augur of Dunlain?" Ignis finally asked, looking down to avoid eye contact. "I w-wouldn't ask, b-but it's r-really important... It h-has to d-do about th-the Eye..."

Tolfdir sighed, looking up at the ceiling above. "The Augur of Dunlain... I don't know if its the best idea, telling you where to find him, but I know you are not a fool, and only seek him because you must." The elderly wizard told Ignis, causing the boy to become somewhat flustered because of the trust Tolfdir had in him. "You must go deep within the Midden. You can find him there. I can only tell you to be careful, and wish you luck. You should hurry, before the others wake up, so that they are not made aware of what you are doing."

* * *

**Ancient Dwemer City of Mzulft, 13th of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

Ignis entered the ruin nervously, amazed and intimidated by the massive size of the exterior structure. As he carefully walked into the first room, he spotted a wounded Imperial from the Synod, clenching his stomach, which was bleeding profusely. As Ignis rushed over and attempted to heal the man, he shook his head. "Crystal... gone...Find...Paratus...in Oculory..." The man coughed violently, then slumped over, dead. Ignis shook the man's body rapidly, trying to wake him up, even though the boy knew he was already dead. After several minutes, Ignis let the body go, gulping deeply, realizing he had to go on.

Ignis took out the bronze box from his bag, and slid his slender hand into the uniquely designed gauntlet, then tightened it onto his arm by turning a valve on the metal glove's side. After the gauntlet adjusted to its user's small hand, Ignis grabbed the dagger from the box, then put the container back in his pack. Taking the key from the now deceased researcher, Ignis continued into the ruin.

Proceeding through the door into a room containing a number of Dwemer metallic items, Ignis hurried past, ascending a ramp at the far end of the room. Around the corner, a pressure plate on the floor activated a ceiling spike trap as Ignis passed by, causing him to yelp out in surprise. Beyond this, the body of another researcher lied on the floor. At the entrance to the next large room, the boy encountered two Dwarven Spider Workers, quickly battling them and continuing on.

In the room at the top of the next ramp, Ignis found himself assaulted by another two Dwemer spiders, but managed to fend them off. He continued as quickly as he could, not wanting to delay as the situation was worsening at the college. As he traversed the ruin, Ignis entered an area of the ruin that was a natural cavern. The boy slowed down as he approached a rather disturbed crunching sound, which, to Ignis's horror, turned out to be a large insect devouring the corpse of a member of the Synod.

Ignis screamed in fright as the Chaurus lunged toward him, it's mandibles clattering fiercely. Ignis desperately stabbed his dagger forward, separating the left mandible from the oversized insect. As the Chaurus stagger back, it was suddenly engulfed in flames emerging from Ignis's left palm. Panting heavily, Ignis stood still for several moments before looking around the Synod's camp for any goods. After pocketing some wheat, Ignis continued onward.

Passing through the area the Synod had set up as a camp, Ignis spotted a couple more Chaurus at the end of a passageway that seemed to lead back into Mzulft. Noticing a tripwire that held back a rock trap, the boy decided to try using the trap to his advantage.

Throwing a small rock down the passage, Ignis managed to get the attention of the two Chaurus. Whimpering a little as the creatures clattered toward him, Ignis activated the tripwire, burying the insects in stone.

Continuing onward, into an artificially-built structure once again, Ignis opened the door leading back into the ruined city. At the top of the ramp around the corner, he found a locked door to a room that contains some valuables. He unlocked the door, which caused a pair of Dwemer Spheres to emerge from the wall. Ignis yelped in surprise as a bolt whizzed past his head, causing him to stagger back. The gauntlet on his right hand whirred softly, and the Dwemer constructs halted, before withdrawing into their dormant state. Ignis blinked, confused, unsure why the machines had stopped, but shook his head, deeming it not something to think about at the current time.

After grabbing a few jewels and an enchanted circlet from the previously locked room, Ignis continued up another ramp and through another door. Beyond this awaited another spider, which carried on with its duties without taking notice of the boy. Beyond that another sphere awaited dormant at the end of the hall, emerging from a port to the right.

Moving further into the ruin, a spider climbed up the stairs from a small lowered area which provided access to some valuables. After exploring this, Ignis returned to the upper level and opened the next door. The teenage Mage made his way through a large chamber filled with the sounds of Dwemer worker spiders, working tirelessly, awaiting the return of their masters.

The next stretch of the ruin contained the remains of some Falmer and spiders who all appeared to have destroyed each other. After briefly praying for the souls of the deceased Falmer, Ignis opened the door into Mzulft Boilery.

Following a ramp upward into the Boilery section of the city, a powerful Falmer stalked the area, looking for prey. Ignis attempted to quietly pass by, but the Falmer heard the boy's frightened breaths and turned, leering with empty eyes. Ignis dived to the side as an arrow passed where his chest had been moments before, the thrust his left palm forward, a loud thunder crack following suit. The sightless creature flew backward, its body limp as it impacted the wall. Exploring the area briefly after the Falmer stalker was slain, Ignis found another Synod researcher's corpse, as well as a few gems. Ignis frowned as he started to realize that there were likely no remaining researchers alive, and gulped loudly. The boy muttered a silent prayer for the fallen member of the Synod, then continued on.

At the top of a ramp, Ignis was forced to fight another Falmer, and then two more in the room through an open doorway to the north.

Heading east, Ignis entered a naturalistic area. When he entered a fairly lengthy tunnel, Ignis spotted another Chaurus in the middle of the path. After yet another unpleasant fight, the boy continued on. Near the end of the tunnel, Ignis spotted a small chamber to the right with Chaurus egg sacs, moonstone ore, and a chest made of Chaurus Chitin. Ignis pocketed the Chaurus eggs, knowing they made useful ingredients for mixing potions and poisons.

Exiting the tunnel through a narrow opening to his left, Ignis then saw to his right the opening to a cavern illuminated with a slightly bluish light. Hesitating for a moment, Ignis spotted the cavern's inhabitants: a Falmer stalker accompanied by a large Chaurus. Ignis sighed, knowing that he would have fight yet again. In the scuffle that ensued, yet another Chaurus rushed into the fray as it heard the battle, soon finding itself frozen solid.

Following the cavern North and West, Ignis passed some patches of Glowing Mushrooms, stopping to harvest them as well. There was another dead Synod researcher near the mushrooms, and as Ignis began to mutter a prayer, two Falmer ambushed the boy. in a flurry of desperation, Ignis stabbed the first in the neck, lodging his dagger into the devolved elf's spine. Twisting to the side just as the second Falmer lunged its sword forward, Ignis saw the drips of poison falling from the blade. Kicking his leg up, Ignis disarmed the ambusher, the punched it in the side of the head with his armored hand. The Falmer Hunter shuddered a little, then crumpled to the ground lifelessly.

Moving onward, Ignis finally made it back to Dwemer structuring. Advancing into the interior of the structure ahead, the young mage faced another powerful Falmer in the first room. While struggling with a difficultly locked door, several Dwemer Spiders approached, one of them climbing onto the gate and unlocking it. Inside a chest and the book The Lunar Lorkhan accompanied a key on the stone table that opened another sealed door just ahead.

Traveling onward to the north and then to the west from this area, Ignis entered into a large rectangular hall divided by a shallow pool. Proceeding through the door in the northwest corner of the room, around a corner, Ignis entered into Mzluft Aedrome.

After dispatching a Falmer and Chaurus guarding the entrance to the Aedrome, Ignis entered a massive chamber. Inside prowled four Falmer, who attacked Ignis immediately. A brief skirmish began, culminating with an explosive chorus of thunder echoing through the ruins. Ignis sat down in the center of the chamber, panting, exhausted, looking around a little as he leaned back on his arms. He spotted a shiny object on the ground, and crawled over, not caring to stand yet. Grabbing it, Ignis inspected the odd crystal curiously. It appeared to be some kind of focusing crystal, though it was severely warped. Putting into his pack, Ignis stood up quickly, stumbling a little as he felt woozy from a lack of food. Approaching the large door that seemed to be guarded by the Falmer, Ignis let out an exhausted sigh as he found the door quite sealed, and beyond his skill of lockpicking.

Analyzing the room desperately, the young Mage spotted a door on the other side of the chamber, and hastily rushed down the staircase and across the room, relieved to find the bronze gate unlocked.

Following the hallway behind the door, Ignis found a small chamber with various scraps and ingots laying around. Looking around for the key, Ignis gulped loudly as he heard the sound of metal buckling, as if moving for the first time in centuries. Looking to the side slowly, Ignis yelped out loudly as a large metal fist rammed into his abdomen, then launching him backward. Ignis struggled to rise to his feet, coughing violently, blood spattering onto his sleeve. Looking at the Dwemer Centurion, Ignis glared, a sudden energy flowing into his body. He held his palm out as if releasing a bolt of lightning, but what came from his hand was much stronger. A massive column of destructive energy propelled from the young magician's hand, punching a hole clean through the massive construct.

Ignis stumbled forward as the automaton collapsed, holding his armored hand to his torso, wincing in pain as he felt blood running past his navel. Coughing again, Ignis knelt down, searching the remains of the Centurion for the key. Finding it, Ignis pulled it out, and limped back to the main chamber. Placing the key into the sealed door, he turned it, hearing a small ping. Pulling the key out, he found it had sheered in half. Ignis whimpered, tears welling up in his eyes, frustrated by such fowl luck. The whelp took a deep breath, holding his hand to his abdomen, biting his lip to try ignoring the pain. Slowly, Ignis placed his left palm onto the door, stumbling a little. He coughed loudly, spattering some blood onto the door as he began to focus his magicka. The door buckled inward, warping as the heat in the air rose drastically. Ignis pushed forward, somewhat disoriented as he entered the hallway.

Beyond this was another locked door which Ignis could not open. When he try to do so, however, a voice from the other side responded, and the door was opened by a Synod member, going by the name Paratus Decimius. He had been expecting the man who had died at the entrance of the ruins.

Paratus was suspicious of Ignis; but when he find out that Ignis had the focusing crystal, he agreed to work together with the whelp, asking Ignis to follow him. Ignis realized that he had reached the Oculory, and concluded that it would be best to assist Paratus.

As he lead Ignis forward, Paratus explained that the Synod happened on this machine created by the Dwarves for unknown purposes, and that the Synod now intends to try to use it toward some different end. When they began to ascend a curved ramp along a giant sphere, Ignis whimpered a little, carefully walking as to avoid falling.

At the top, Paratus began to marvel at the magnificence of device, and asked Ignis to place the crystal into the central apparatus. Ignis approached the strange contraption atop the massive sphere, then inserted the Crystal into the gap at the bottom of the large ring. When the whelp placed the crystal, the ring rotate so that the focusing crystal was positioned at the top.

"You need to adjust the crystal's projected light so that it is aligned with the receiving crystals in the dome!" Paratus ordered, waiting for the boy to continue. "Direct some fire or frost spells at the crystal, the changes in temperature should cause it to warp!" He barked when Ignis appeared confused as to how to adjust the crystal.

Looking upward, Ignis will saw that the device received one beam of light vertically, and splits it into three beams projected in various upward directions. Ignis hesitated for a moment, then released a burst of frost from his hand, onto the crystal. He watched in awe as the light refracted from the crystal shifted around the room. After a few seconds, the beams of light met with the inside of the rings on the dome, and now all the needed to be done was shifting the receivers on the ceiling so that they contacted the beams.

Moving up the stairs to the balcony that housed a Dwemer control panel, Ignis looked at the pedestals that each housed a button, and tried to figure out which would effect which ring on the ceiling. Pressing the left button, the uppermost ring shifted into place, the beam of light magnifying. Working quickly, Ignis soon perfected control over the apparatus, and the lights all met their individual destinations, causing the the sphere to glow softly, and emit something on the wall below.

When the oculory was correctly focused, Paratus was initially excited, but then begin to exclaim with distress that there was something wrong. He will shouted that the map should show more, and speculated that there was some kind of interference coming from Winterhold. He accused Ignis of attempting to stall his work and suspiciously asked if the boy knew what they were trying to do. Ignis returned to Paratus nervously, hoping he wouldn't have to fight this man as well. Paratus was looking at a map projected onto the wall under the control console. After attempting to speak to him, Paratus accused Ignis of trying to sabotage the Synod's efforts and demanded that the young mage explain himself.

Paratus asked if—no, assumed that—there was something "powerful" at the college of Winterhold. He was suspicious about this and toward Ignis, stating that he would be reporting the information to the Synod Council. Ignis learned —as Paratus foolish blurted out— that the Synod intended to use the device to scan the continent for powerful sources of magic, "for the good of the Empire".Surprisingly, Paratus let Ignis know that the map indicates that the Staff of Magnus was in Labyrinthian, even though he was frustrated. Grumbling madly to himself, Paratus turned away from Ignis, who took this chance to vacate the area, knowing he needed to report this information to the Arch Mage.

Leaving the room containing the oculory, Ignis noticed a short distance ahead, just past the barrels in the hallway, there happened to be an exit to the right. As Ignis turned toward it, Nerien, the Psijic Order member who appeared to him in Saarthal, visited again in another apparition. He warned that Ignis would encounter difficulties ahead, but assured the whelp that he is on the right path and that he would prevail. He then urged that Ignis was to return to the college immediately.

* * *

**College of Winterhold, 14th of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

As he entered the Hall of the Elements, Ignis found Arch-Mage Savos and Mirabelle in a panic. The door to the Eye of Magnus was blocked by a barrier that Mirabelle speculated was some kind of ward, and they implicated Ancano in possibly creating it. They cast destruction spells at the barrier. Savos turned his head toward Ignis, "Can you help?" He asked somewhat impatiently, his voice strained.

Ignis helped break down the barrier with destruction spells, and they rushed in, Ignis following behind nervously. Savos approached Ancano, who was casting a spell at the Eye, and commanded him to stop. Mirabelle began to warn Savos not to go near Ancano, but Savos ignored her, beginning to cast a spell at him. At this point, all went white, and the next thing Ignis experienced would be awakening just outside the building with Mirabelle asking if he was all right and saying that she needs his help.

Ignis nodded slowly, and Mirabelle smiled halfheartedly. "I need you to find the Arch-Mage. He was blown clear by that... What ever that was." Ignis nodded again, struggling to her feet, feeling blood run down her side, the wound from earlier reopened.


	4. Chapter 3 - The Staff of Magnus

Hello, Suilebhan here. Sorry it took so long to finish this chapter, I should be back up to speed soon. Please read and relax. Feel free to review!

* * *

**College of Winterhold, 14th of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

Ignis hobbled through the entryway of the Hall of Elements, feeling blood run down his navel. He coughed violently, stumbling a little, then rushed over to the body of Arch-Mage Savos, gasping in horror. Ignis shook the body, tears running down the boy's cheeks. "M-Master Savos! Say something! Get up!" Tolfdir pulled the whelp off of the Arch-Mage's lifeless corpse, shaking his head and looking at the boy with a solemn expression.

"It's too late for Savos, Ignis." Tolfdir sternly told the boy, trying to talk sense into him. "But you need to go to Winterhold to make sure that the citizens of the town are okay! Whatever happened it there, it's sure to have side effects!" Tolfdir insisted, knowing the the boy was likely in a somewhat disturbed state. Ignis nodded slowly, standing up and turning toward the gate to the College. As he began limping toward the exit, another of the apprentices joined him.

"Ignis, you look hurt," the Nord said, suddenly wrapping his arm around the effeminate teen, supporting his body. "After this, you need some rest and healing, okay?" Ignis meekly nodded, blushing and looking away. As they arrived in the remnants of Winterhold, chaos was ensuing. Small serpentine creatures formed from pure Magicka roamed the streets, assaulting the citizens of the small town. Onmund used his free arm to repel the creatures as they began their attack, while Ignis took a deep breath and held up his left hand. The air became somewhat magnetized, and suddenly electricity exploded out of the ground, destroying several of the mana wyrms. Ignis coughed again, spattering blood onto the snow, causing Onmund to pull the boy back away from the remaining creatures.

As he decided to act as a shield against the anomalies for the whelp, Onmund inhaled deeply, expecting pain. Suddenly, the air ignited around him, and he looked back to see Ignis struggling to stand, holding up his hand to channel a large wall of flames. The creatures wailed loudly and exploded into dust, and Ignis glared at Onmund. "D-Don't t-treat me... As s-something that n-needs... Protection..." The girly boy demanded, wincing as he held an arm to his side. Onmund gasped, able to see blood running down the young teen's side, where it had tinted the boy's goldenrod robes with streaks of crimson. As Ignis began to fall to the ground limply, Onmund ran forward, scooping the boy's unconscious body into his arms. Rushing back to the college with Ignis in his arms, the Nord ran into the courtyard, demanding Colette's assistance.

The somewhat unstable Breton healer ran forward, hurrying over to Onmund and Ignis. She shushed the Nord apprentice with a swift thwack to the head, then took Ignis from the panicking boy. Ignis slowly regained consciousness as Colette began to open his robes to check on the wounds across his chest. The boy scooted away hastily, flustered, holding the robes closed. "N-No, y-you don't n-need to help m-me. Th-there are p-people in Winterhold th-that need to be helped n-now." Ignis insisted, "I c-can heal myself, s-so g-go help them, p-please." Colette reluctantly agreed, leaving the whelp to his own devices, taking Onmund with to assist. Ignis pulled out a few potions and drank them down, cringing a little at the bitter taste. He winced as his shattered rib reassembled itself.

Mirabelle approached Ignis as he stood alone in the courtyard. "The Staff," Mirabelle demanded, her voice quivering with desperation and pain, "please, tell me you at least found the location of the Staff." The thirty-something Breton woman pleaded, her eyes clouding up with sorrow. Ignis nodded slowly, his lip trembling slightly.

"L-Lab..." Ignis started, gulping deeply. "Labyrinthian..."

"What? Are you... Are you sure? The staff is there? That can't be a coincidence." Mirabelle was shocked, stupefied, even. "The Arch-Mage. Savos... Before he died... He... He gave me something just a little while ago. He told me it was from Labyrinthian, and that I would know what to do with it when the time came. I think... I think he meant this for you, then. I'm not sure why, but there was something very personal about it for him. Also, I think you should take this amulet. It belonged to Savos, but I think would do you the most good now. Take it, and get out of here. Bring back that staff before Ancano brings the whole College down around us."

Ignis accepted the Torc from Mirabelle, wondering what purpose it could hold with Labyrinthian, and more importantly, why Savos had known it would be necessary. Had he already known the staff was located in the ancient city that encompassed a large section of the mountains south of Morthal? There was something really off about this, and the curiosity over Savos's involvement continuous bothered Ignis as he made his way south toward Windhelm.

* * *

**Palace of Kings, Windhelm. 15th of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

Frustration grew on Ulfric's face as he received the news that another fort had fallen to the Imperial advance. After tightening his grip on the war room's table until it began to buckle, Ulfric let go, somewhat ashamed in his rash display of anger at the current situation. "I'm sorry," he informed the messenger who had brought the bad news, regretting the way he acted toward the boy who was acting as messenger. "Tell Galmar to reinforce the forts we still have, then return to Windhelm. I need to discuss some strategy with my army's general." Ulfric ordered the freckled boy, who nodded and rushed out of the palace. After the boy had gone and the hall stood empty, Ulfric sighed loudly, placing his head to his palm. Why did things have to be so horrible for him right now? What had he done against the divines to deserve such chaos in the land? What had the people done to deserve this?

His distress was disturbed by the sound of the large doors of the main hall shutting as quietly as massive metal doors could. He looked up grumpily to see a somewhat familiar nervous face entering the building. "Ignis?" He asked aloud, stepping down from the throne and looking at the boy. "What are you doing here?" He inquired, his voice somewhat strained.

"I-I'm s-sorry! Sh-should I n-not have come?" Ignis asked meekly, cowering away a little, bowing in an almost ninety-degree angle. Ulfric frowned and shook his head.

"No, no, you've done nothing wrong, I just wasn't expecting anyone this early. I wouldn't be up myself if I hadn't needed to meet our messenger from the rift." Ulfric explained his frustration to the boy, hoping to avoid mentioning the war. "I've heard there is trouble in the College these days, is there something we can assist with?" Ignis shook his head defiantly, trying to look as stern as he could.

"I c-can't ask for anything m-more than a p-place to rest a m-moment." Ignis insisted, his lip quivering a little as he attempted to look somewhat official. His confidence felt somewhat broken as Ulfric burst into laughter at the boy's actions. "Wh-what?!"

"Oh, nothing," Ulfric said dismissively, smirking a little, "I'll see to it that you have a place to rest and bathe a moment." The Jarl informed the meek teen that was bowing before him. "Now then, no need to continue bowing. Well, I need to go find something in the kitchens, I'll have the servants bring you some food and drink." Ulfric left to the larder, leaving Ignis alone. The young boy hesitated for a moment, then sat down at the table, feeling somewhat drowsy, having not slept in days. When Ulfric returned, he found the boy asleep, his head on the table, his face surprisingly peaceful. Ulfric laughed a little to himself, calling a servant to help the boy to a bed. Ulfric sighed a little as he watched the boy being carried off, wondering why the Imperials had to make the world so chaotic for children like Ignis, who should have been happily living with a family, not wandering the land that was plagued by war.

Ignis awoke sometime in the afternoon, panicking as he found himself in an unfamiliar place. He looked around vigorously, eyes wide with paranoia, standing after a moment to find a pair of neatly folded robes similar to his own on the table before him. Looking around suspiciously, making certain none were watching, Ignis changed quickly, not even bothering to tighten the bindings around his chest this time, just to be certain that none would see. After wandering for a few minutes, Ignis found the stairs leading to the main hall, and after a brief moment of hesitation, descended. "H-hello?" Ignis nervously muttered, entering the main hall. Ulfric looked up at the boy and smiled politely.

"Good evening, lad. How was your rest?" Ulfric inquired, cutting a piece of beef from a roast that sat on his plate. He beckoned the boy to sit at the table as he chewed the piece of meat, swallowing and returning his attention to the boy.

"I, um... D-did you say evening?" Ignis asked meekly, his voice trembling nervously, gulping loudly. He couldn't have wasted so much time asleep, not when there was such a threat brewing at the college. Ulfric nodded, curious as to why the boy seemed so panicked suddenly. Ignis rose to his feet quickly, shuddering in fright and disappointment in himself. "Oh no! I've st-stayed too long!" Ignis exclaimed.

"What do you mean?" Ulfric asked loudly, rising just after the boy. Ignis shook his head vigorously, refusing to tell Ulfric, angering the Jarl somewhat. It frustrated him that he boy would act so ungrateful when he had gone to such lengths to be kind. Ulfric signaled his guards to block the main doors, preventing Ignis from exiting. "Just tell me what you mean!" Ulfric ordered, looking at the boy hostilely, annoyed at his actions.

Ignis whimpered a little, gulping deeply. "I... I h-have t-to go t-to... L-Lab..." Ignis hesitated for a moment, looking up to meet Ulfric's hostile stare. "I h-have to for to Labrynthian!" Ignis shouted hastily, dashing to the door suddenly and kicking it open with surprising strength, sliding through the narrow opening before the metal door shut.

Ulfric stared baffled at a second at the spot where the boy had been moments before. Labrynthian? That was likely the most dangerous place in Skyrim, haunted and cursed by the Ancient Nords thousands of years ago. He blinked, his mind blank, until suddenly an image popped briefly into his head. Ignis, when turning away, frightened, his body unusually effeminate, somewhat curved, like a woman's. Ulfric shook his head, not wanting to further such unnatural thoughts. His guards approached, unsure what to do, and Ulfric dismissed them to their posts, sighing as he returned to the throne and laid back on the large chair and looked at the ceiling, annoyed and distracted at the moment.

* * *

**Labrynthian, 16th of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

Ignis entered the large ruin cautiously, Keening shimmering in his hand, his other hand alive with electricity. He crept through the first room, which was rather deserted, and followed a small pathway littered with debris, and entered a large chamber. In the center of the floor stood a large mound, which suddenly began to crack open. Ignis leapt to the side as the mound exploded, and a large skeletal dragon crept out, roaring loudly through the chamber, even with the lack of vocal cords. Ignis let fly a large bolt of lightning, then fled to hide behind a large pillar as the creature released a swath of frost from its mouth. Ignis dived to the side as the large skeleton slammed itself into the pillar, causing it to fall into the wall. Ignis yelped in fear as the beast lunged forward, crashing into the wall beside the boy.

Ignis dashed forward desperately as the undead dragon chased after mindlessly, crashing through everything in its path. After a few minutes, Ignis formulated a plan. After making certain the creature was focused solely on him, the young whelp ran forward, directly toward one of the last standing pillars. Leaping out of the way at the last second, Ignis watched as the creature slammed into the pillar, toppling the stone structure onto itself. Ignis ran deeper into the ruin as the ceiling began to cave in, burying the room in rubble.

Realizing there was no turning back now, Ignis took a deep breath, trying to stay calm as it seemed that fate conspired against him. The young teen continued further into the ruin, unable to decided against continuing, now, as there was no path out the way he had come. As Ignis traversed deeper into the ruin, a loud voice echoed through the ancient structure: **"Wo meyz wah dii vul junaar?" **The voice caused Ignis to trembled for a moment, uncertain what lay ahead.

As the boy descended further and further into the ruins, the echoing speech returned: **"Nivahriin muz fent siiv nid aaz het." **Ignis stumbled a bit as the earth seemed to quake with the reverberating shouts. **"You do not answer... Must I use this guttural language of yours?" ** Ignis wondered what language it had originally been speaking in. It seemed familiar, but very... different. Something that he could not quite name. **"Have you returned, Aren? My old friend?" **Ignis's eyes widened with shock as he heard what the powerful creature asked. Aren. Arch-Mage Savos had been here before! That was why he knew that the Torc would be needed!

**"Do you seek to finish that which you could not?" **The voice taunted, Ignis starting to get angered. Whatever spirit possessed this place, it had no right to bad mouth the late Arch-Mage like that! Even as Ignis felt such feelings of anger, his confidence started to chip away as well. **"You only face failure once more..." **The spirit insisted, again attempting to erode the young mage's confidence.

As Ignis neared the bottom of the massive subterranean structure, the voice became even stronger. **"You... You are not Aren, are you? Has he sent you in his place?" **It inquired, the structure shaking, dust and stone falling from the cavernous ceiling above. **"Did he warn you that your own power would be your undoing? That it would only serve to strengthen me?" **It asked, seeming to laugh loudly, the earth rumbling. Ignis neared the final section of the massive cavern, shuddering a little as the pressure of magicka in the air skyrocketed. **"Come. Face your end." **The voice said, as Ignis stood atop a wall and saw what held the staff.

* * *

Ignis looked at the Dragon Priest, fear in his cyan eyes. **"I am Morokai, priest of Alduin. It seems we find ourselves at an... Impasse..."** The lich told the whelp, eying him curiously. **"How is it that it has come to pass that I am to be confronted by one who wields power over the staff in my possession."** Morokai admitted, floating before Ignis.

"Wh-what do you mean?" Ignis asked, continuing to hold his hands up to keep the barrier formed. "H-how can I have p-power over something that you have?"

**"I must admit that I do not know,"** the ancient priest informed the young magician before him.** "You have the strength of the true master of this staff, the first one to hold it. Magnus. I can see it. In your eyes."**

Ignis's expression changed, from that of fright and weakness to one of realization and shock. He had gained his sight back when he touched the orb back in Saarthal. When he had touched the eye. The eye of Magnus. In his surprise, Ignis hesitated for a moment, and the Dragon Priest suddenly attacked again. At the last second, Ignis reformed the barrier, blocking the attack. Ignis shifted his feet, and a slight spark formed on his hands. He pushed his hand forward, a large clamp of thunder echoing through the massive underground chamber.

Morokai was thrown back, the electricity filling his body, draining his power. He would have smiled, had he still any flesh on the face behind the mask. He left Nirn again, this time for good, as his body turned to ash. Ignis slowly approached the pile of dust and metal that had made up Morokai, and he grabbed the mask that lay on the ground, placing it on the side of his head. The teen felt energy surge through his feeble body as his grip tightened on the staff that the Dragon Priest had used in battle. This was most certainly what the Psijic had told him to acquire.

Ignis followed the passage that led out, opening a door to find a Thalmor wizard waiting on the other side. "I don't see why Ancano was worried, you don't look very formidable." The Altmer told Ignis, drawing a dagger. "There's no point in trying to surrender, Ancano wants you dead." The elf said, lunging the dagger forward, managing to cut the sash holding Ignis's robe closed as the whelp stumbled back to dodge the attack. The Altmer had a look of confusion as he began to open his mouth, likely trying to say something, as a beam of energy launched forward from the Staff of Magnus and launched the Thalmor wizard back.

Ignis held his robes shut, his face bright red, and launched a large blast of flame from his free hand. "J-j-jerk!" Ignis mumbled, tears welled in his eyes. He grabbed a second sash and tied it tightly around the closed robes as to hold them shut again. He put the staff onto his back, looking away from the corpse of the Altmer, feeling nauseous as he thought of the charred corpse before him now.

Climbing a ladder leading outside of the ruined crypt, Ignis shivered when a cool breeze came down. He emerged slowly, whimpering a little as he looked across Labyrinthian. "I should g-get going back..."


	5. Chapter 4 - The Eye of Magnus

AN: Hello, Suilebhan here~ I apologize for taking a while writing it. I hope you'll like it. Read, relax, and enjoy. Feel free to review.

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**Winterhold (town), 17th of Heartfire, 201 4E.**

Ignis arrived at dusk, the sky illuminated by the massive swell of magicka around the College. He rushed to the bridge and was greeted by Tolfdir and the rest of the mages save "Mirabelle." Tolfdir's voice was solemn, regretful. "She... She stayed behind to make sure everyone evacuated." Ignis's eyes widened with shock and anger. Ancano had not only the blood of Savos on his hands, but also Mirabelle. "Ignis, do you... Do you have the staff?"

Ignis nodded, removing the staff from his back, gripping it tightly. In his other hand, he held an ornate silver mask. Lifting the mask to his face, cloth launched out from the mask and formed a hood. Tolfdir saw the faint glow of Ignis's eyes behind the slits in the mask. "I am ready, Master Tolfdir. Make sure that everyone keeps protecting the town. We can't afford allowing anyone to get hurt." Ignis asked, his voice surprisingly steady and vigilant. Ignis was a little surprised as Tolfdir stood beside him, accompanied by Arniel and Nirya.

"You can't do this alone, lad." Tolfdir said, patting Ignis's back. "You deal with the barrier, and we can aid you in getting to Ancano." Tolfdir insisted, causing Ignis to sigh. Ignis hoped no one else would get hurt, and even though Tolfdir and the others could handle themselves, there was no telling how powerful Ancano had become sapping power from the eye. Lifting up the staff, Ignis released a powerful draining beam, which absorbed the massive shield around the College. Charging forward, Ignis shot a few sustained bursts from the staff when ever the barrier reformed, relying on his companions to deal with the anomalies formed by the Eye.

Entering the Hall of Elements with Tolfdir, Ignis tightened his grip on the staff as he eyed Ancano. "You've come for me, have you?, You think I don't know what you're up to? You think I can't destroy you? The power to unmake the world at my fingertips, and you think you can do anything about it?" The Thalmor mocked, his voice that of a madman. Tolfdir launched a bolt of flame from his hand, passing through Ancano as if his was a mirage. "I am beyond your pathetic attempts at magic. You cannot touch me."

Tolfdir looked toward Ignis. "The staff! Use the staff on the Eye!" Suddenly, a greenish bolt of magic propelled toward the Master Wizard, causing him to become rigid like stone, then fall backwards.

"Enough! Still you persist? Very well. Come then. See what I can do now." Ancano stopped sapping directly from the Eye, relying on the residual energy left in him to defend his body from attacks. Ignis released a sustained beam from the Staff of Magnus, creating a ward in his other hand to shield himself from the attacks made by the insane Thalmor. "You dare approach me here? Are you mad? You cannot hope to defeat me!" The room suddenly became dark as the Eye shut, and Ancano seemed to phase back into reality.

"I don't hope to defeat you here." Ignis said, his eyes glowing brilliantly, "I intend to defeat you here." Ignis held up his hand as the Eye suddenly exploded open again, absorbing some of the energy so that Ancano could not. Ancano charged toward Ignis, releasing a echoing bolt of lightning from his hands, only to find the whelp was no longer standing where he struck. The Thalmor felt the hairs on the end of his neck start to rise, and suddenly a jolt of electricity ran through his body. Ignis stood behind him, his palm crackling with lightning, frowning behind the mask. Ancano staggered, falling forward, barely able to hold himself up with his arms. The Thalmor looked in horror as he began to glow blue and turn to ash, swirling into the Eye.

Tolfdir watched in awe as Ignis approached the Eye, placing his hand against the massive orb. Energy shot from Ignis back into the Eye, which continued to spew magicka into the air. "M-Master Tolfdir! W-what should we d-do?!" Ignis asked, running toward the man and looking at him with teary eyes shielded by his bangs.

"I... I don't know. Ancano is gone, but whatever he's done to the Eye doesn't seem to have stopped. I have no idea what to do!" The elderly wizard told the boy, frowning with worry. As he spoke, the air chilled, and three men donning Psijic robes appeared in the room. Tolfdir looked in awe as one approached Ignis.

"We knew you would succeed. Your victory here justifies our belief in you. You have proven yourself more than worthy to guide the College of Winterhold." The monk explained, bowing politely toward Ignis. "The Eye has grown unstable. It cannot remain here, or else it may destroy your College and this world. It must be secured. Ancano's actions prove that the world is not ready for such a thing. We shall safeguard it... for now. You now have the opportunity to maintain your College, and carry on with your lives. You have our gratitude, Arch-Mage." The men surrounded the orb, and in a brilliant flash of light, disappeared, along with the eye.

Ignis stood, perplexed by their statement for a moment, before his eyes widened and he became flustered. Tolfdir smiled at the lad and held out the Arch Mage's robes.

"I can think of no finer leader than you, Ignis. Congratulations." Tolfdir exclaimed, giving the boy a friendly pat on the back. Ignis was speechless as the elderly wizard led him to the Arch Mage's quarters. Ignis stood alone for several minutes, just fiddling with some of the plants in the Alchemical garden. He looked the door into his new quarters and began to undress. Taking off the bindings around his chest, Ignis frowned. After replacing the bandages, Ignis dressed himself in the Arch Mage's robes, and found himself coming to tears. These were the same robes that Savos had worn before Ancano killed him. Ignis hated being so weak, as he was sure that was the only reason that Ancano's demise wasn't satisfying. A real man would be able to enjoy revenge, surely.

After a few hours had passed, Ignis descended the stairs leading back to the Hall of the Elements, where the surviving members of the college had gathered. Ignis cleared his throat, biting his lip nervously as he stood before the members of the college. "E-E-Everyone, th-thank you f-for coming... A-as you likely have h-heard, I have b-been named Arch M-Mage b-by the Ps-Psijic Order..." Ignis addressed his colleagues. "Wh-while I am s-sure that I am n-not the only one w-with some reservations about th-this manner of selection, I w-will d-d-do my b-best as your A-Arch Mage..." Tolfdir smiled, walking over and standing behind Ignis.

"I stand behind you, Arch Mage. I know you'll do well." The elderly Breton proclaimed, nodding his head politely. Slowly, the other masters joined Tolfdir, and Ignis became flustered from the sudden attention. "We all stand behind you, as we stood behind Savos." Tolfdir stated as he and his fellow masters bowed their heads politely.

"I..." Ignis's pale face became bright pink. "Th-thank you..." He didn't know what to say. Ignis had been certain that the other mages would be mad by the Psijic Monks deciding that he should be the Arch Mage. "Um... W-we should hold a f-funeral for m-master Savos, a-and miss M-Mirabelle..." Ignis nervously suggested to the members of the college.

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Tolfdir agreed, patting Ignis's back. "Everyone, let us meet in the courtyard at dusk, so that we may say our goodbyes to our fallen comrades." Tolfdir told the members of the college, who nodded and murmured words of agreement.

After everyone had left, Ignis approached Arniel Gane in the Arcanaeium. "Um, A-Arniel, I n-noticed that you've been s-somewhat distressed l-lately, m-more so than th-the others..." Ignis began, sitting on the bench beside Arniel. "I-Is something wr-wrong with your experiment?" Arniel sighed and nodded.

"Yes, unfortunately." He admitted. "You see, I've been trying to simulate the disappearance of the Dwemer, but after Ancano's little grab for power, the convector I've been using to charge the warped soul gem you got me was destroyed." He explained, frowning a bit. "The Dwemer had convectors that they used to charge soul gems, but I'm not in a position to search for them at this time."

"I-I could d-do it!" Ignis suddenly blurted out. "I c-can help you charge th-the soul gem. I've b-been planning on searching Mzinchelft f-for some s-soul gems m-myself, so I'll b-be happy to help..."

Arniel laughed a little. "Well, thank you, then, Ignis. Or should I call you sir, now?" Arniel jokingly asked, smiling. "I suppose I should warn you, due to the nature of the warped soul gem, the convector might not be able to withstand more than one use, so you may need to find a second." Ignis nodded obediently, and Arniel held back another laugh.

Ignis left the massive library, and came across Onmund, training in the main hall. Ignis approached curiously, and smiled meekly as Onmund noticed him. "H-hey, Onmund, wh-what are you w-working on?" Ignis inquired nervously as the Nord turned to look at him.

"I'm working on my shock spells, since they're some of the most effective destruction spells." Onmund told Ignis, avoiding making eye contact with the boy. "D-do you think you can help me?"

"H-huh? Help you?" Ignis looked surprised by his friend's request. "I-I g-guess so, b-but I d-don't know how I c-can be of help... I'm n-not as g-good as one of the m-masters..."

"That's f-fine," Onmund insisted, smiling nervously, forcing out a short laugh. "You c-can cast a ward, and I'll use m-my lightning spell. We can b-both improve that way... Heh..." He laughed nervously, becoming slightly flustered. Onmund didn't understand why he was feeling so confused when he looked at Ignis, spoke to him... Onmund shook his head a little, focusing. Ignis brought up a ward, and tried to plant his feet tightly on the floor.

Onmund looked at Ignis, his thin, frail body. His slight curved figure, similar to that of a woman. Onmund blushed heavily, shutting his eyes in frustration as he launched a stream of electricity from his hands. He opened his eyes as he heard a frightened yelp, and saw Ignis fallen on the floor, tears in his eyes. "Agh, I'm sorry!" Onmund blurted out, frantically rushing to his junior and trying to check the boy's burns. Ignis winced, cowering away a little as Onmund attempted to remove the young teen's shirt to examine the wound.

"P-P-Please don't..." Ignis asked meekly, covering the opening in his robes. "C-can you g-go get miss Colette and ask her to m-meet me in m-my new chambers?" Ignis nervously asked, wincing again in pain.

"Y-yeah..." Onmund reluctantly agreed, looking away to try hiding his blush. "B-but can you get to your room? I m-mean... You l-look really hurt..." Onmund asked, grabbing on to the boy's hand instinctively in worry. As Onmund felt Ignis's skin, he blushed deeply, and let go immediately. "S-sorry..." It was so soft... It was smoother than Onmund could ever have imagined anyone's hand, guy or girl, to be.

Ignis tried to get up, wincing, and letting out a small yelp of pain, sinking back to the floor. Onmund bit his lip, determined, and wrapped his arms under Ignis, lifting the boy up in his arms, carrying him as if he was a princess. Ignis blushed, embarrassed and frightened by Onmund's touch, and struggled a little. "L-let go... I c-can get to my room b-by myself!" Ignis insisted, tears welling in his eyes. Onmund shook his head, his expression unmoving as he carried his junior up the stairs.

"I've hurt you," Onmund said, his voice heavy with remorse. "It's my fault you are hurt, so it's my duty to help you to your quarters. As soon as I set you down on your bed, I'll go get Colette." Onmund's usual nervous hesitation was missing from his voice, trying to focus on the seriousness of the situation. Of course, he did have a slight blush, as he couldn't help but feel slightly aroused with Ignis in his arms. He set Ignis down on his bed cautiously, trying to be careful not to hurt him more. "I'll send Colette right up... I need to keep training." Onmund tried to act harshly toward Ignis, so that the young teen would avoid him. Onmund couldn't keep having these strange feelings, he didn't want to hurt Ignis again because of them...

Ignis smiled weakly, nodding a little. "Th-thank you, O-Onmund..." He muttered softly as he watched the Nord walk away. After about five minutes, Colette rushed in to the room panicked.

"What's wrong?! You're hurt! Are you dying?! Did you rupture an organ?!" Colette spoke incredibly fast, almost delirious. Ignis shook her head, smiling meekly.

"It... It isn't b-bad, just a little burn..." Ignis said weakly. "And m-maybe a couple b-broken bones..." He admitted nervously.

"Then why did you insist that Onmund boy send me? Surely even someone as inexperienced as him could have healed this." Colette inquired, still speaking unpleasantly quick.

"Well, I.." Ignis's gaze shifted shamefully toward the floor. "M-Miss Colette, c-can you keep a secret?" He asked nervously, clearing his throat nervously.

* * *

Ignis stood silently before the pyre, a tear running down his cheek. He placed the torch down, and watched as the fire began to consume Savos's body. "I'm sorry..." He muttered softly to himself, shutting his eyes and turning away, hastily returning to the Arch Mage's quarters. Sitting alone on his new bed, Ignis cried into his covers. Why did Savos have to die? Why did Ancano have to abuse the artifact from Saarthal? Ignis tried to stop as he heard someone approaching, and looked up to see Onmund. "O-Onmund..?" Ignis became somewhat flustered and hid his face with his bed sheets. "Wh-what are you doing h-here?"

"I, um, I wanted t-to apologize." Onmund admitted, looking away, blushing, as he noticed the embarrassed reaction Ignis made. "I... I'm s-sorry about hurting you earlier..."

Ignis shook his behind vigorously behind the bed sheets. "Y-you don't n-need to a-apologize... It w-was an accident..." Ignis insisted, blushing greatly, averting his gaze from Onmund's eyes. Onmund smiled a little, and grabbed Ignis's hand. "O-Onmund?"

"But I do..." Onmund told Ignis, smiling. "I... I hurt you because I can't control these feelings... I can't keep running away..." He moved forward, suddenly pressing his lips against the new Arch Mage's neck. Ignis's eyes widened, and he pushed Onmund away as best as he could. Onmund realized what he had done, and became bright red. "I... I'm sorry!" He exclaimed loudly, attempting to flee, stopping as he felt the soft grasp of Ignis's hand grabbing onto his sleeve.

"O-Onmund... Wh-what's g-going on? Is something wr-wrong?" Ignis asked meekly. "Y-you clearly aren't y-yourself, s-someone must've put you up to th-this..." Ignis insisted. "S-something must be controlling you... Th-there's no way you c-could actually like me... I'm n-not attractive l-like—"

Onmund hesitated a moment as his junior spoke, then suddenly kissed Ignis. He couldn't control himself, he just found the young Arch Mage so... Adorable. Ignis's eyes widened again as Onmund wrapped his arms around him, and he lost any resistance he had. It only lasted for a moment, but to Onmund, it had lasted a lifetime. "Don't say foolish things like that!" Onmund insisted, looking down at Ignis, holding the young wizard by the shoulders. "Even if I've never even seen your eyes, you are more beautiful than any woman I've seen! You aren't arrogant or impolite, you're kind and loving toward others. The only thing that is controlling me now is my heart." Onmund's cheeks with red with embarrassment, but he didn't care. He embraced Ignis tightly, running his hand through the boy's hair.

Ignis stayed silent for a few minutes, his lip quivering from embarrassment. He slowly raised his arms, and wrapped them around Onmund, pressing his head against the Nord's chest. Onmund continued slowly running his hand through the young magician's hair, stopping as he felt his robes dampening. Ignis looked up, tears running down his cheeks, the hair shrouding his eyes parting, revealing brilliant cyan eyes that seemed to glow softly. There were faded scars on Ignis's face, Onmund thought were likely from burns, and the young Mage attempted to cover his eyes. Onmund stopped him, placing his head back to his chest. He heard Ignis begin to quietly weep, and he smiled softly, looking down at his junior. "Hush, don't cry."

"Y-you don't understand..." Ignis meekly replied, tears still flowing from his eyes. "I... I can't have f-feelings like this... It's wr-wrong..." Ignis continued to cry, Onmund holding the boy's head to his chest.

"It doesn't matter if it's wrong," Onmund insisted. "Love is love. No matter what." He felt a little embarrassed after saying such a cheesy thing, but he didn't care. Ignis shook his head softly, still whimpering a little.

"Y-you don't understand..." Ignis began, afraid to look Onmund in the eye.

"Maybe I don't, but it can't change how I feel." Onmund insisted, his hand slowly moving down Ignis's back. He stopped as he felt Ignis pushing him away, and looked down to see the young teen gazing up, tears running down his face. "I... Sorry... I'll go..."

Ignis watched Onmund leave the room, and planted his head against the pillow of his new bed. He just wanted to sleep, he just wanted to forget about the things that had transpired. He couldn't have these feelings for Onmund. Ignis swore to never have feelings like that again.

As darkness overtook the young whelp, he dreamt.

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A year had passed since the girl had lost her sight, and she was adapting to her sightlessness well. She spent day and night training relentlessly, rarely sleeping or eating. She became skilled in combat apprenticed under the Forsworn, and the crone who had saved her after the fire taught the girl in the ways of magic. Ignis, as the girl now went by, was strong, but even with the strength she had attained with the Forsworn, Ignis was mentally strained. Each night, her dreams were plagued by images of the night she lost her sight. Of the horrible acts committed that day by the men who claimed to fight for the Empire and its people. The only solace from the dreams was a woman named Rhenna, who acted as a mother to Ignis, comforting her during nights spent sobbing, supporting her when she felt doubt.

It was a cold night, late into Evening Star, and Ignis awoke suddenly, everything feeling off. Rhenna was not beside her as usual, and the sightless girl heard the sound of erratic, almost elated breathing in the room beside her own. Creeping slowly, Ignis entered the room, hearing the sounds of shifting chain mail as Rhenna was pushed forcibly against the wooden table, her clothes torn and removed. Ignis's eyes widened, recognizing the sound of the chain, and knew all too well what was about to transpire. The Imperial scout who was holding Rhenna down noticed Ignis's elevated breathing and turned his head toward the young girl, smiling as two of his comrades approached her and grabbed her wrists, holding her against the wall. "Hey there, girly~" The Imperial soldier said with a somewhat perverted, possibly intoxicated voice. "Do you want to have fun with us?" The man grinned, laughing a little.

Rhenna looked over at Ignis, coughing a little, her face swollen and bruised. "Ignis..." She muttered softly, struggling to speak at all. "R-run..." She pleaded, only to be slapped violently by the man on top of her.

"Shut up, wench! I didn't say you could speak!" The Imperial exclaimed, hitting her again and again, enjoying himself as he assumed his friends were as well, he turned to look at them, wanting to check their progress. What he saw caused his jaw to drop.

As soon as the man had started to slap Rhenna, Ignis became filled with hatred. She tore her right hand free, pulling the arm of the man who was holding her wrist off. As his partner began to react, Ignis thrust her right hand into the man's neck, his grip loosening around her other hand. Ignis launched herself forward, her fingers wrapping tightly around the neck of the Imperial Scout who had been taking advantage of Rhenna. He tried to plead for mercy, and Ignis looked into his eyes, gazing with hollow emptiness. She grinned, and the man attempted to scream just before blood spatter across the young girl's face.

Ignis rushed over to Rhenna, tears flowing down her cheeks as the woman hung limp in her arms. The air began to heat up, and fire started to swirl around the teen, charring the bodies of the Imperial soldiers. She slowly walked out of the ruined tower that was her sanctuary, and looked at the rest of the ruins that made up the Forsworn encampment. The other members of the tribe of Reachmen looked at the tower and at Ignis, staying silent. Anger swelled up inside Ignis as she realized they had been able to help the whole time. She screamed loudly, the fire exploding around her, immolating many of the tribe as they circled her. Ignis ran forward, dashing toward the large tower that the Crone who ruled the tribe made her home.

"Why did you do it?!" Ignis exclaimed, glaring hostilely at the elderly woman. "Why didn't you let them help her?!"

"Because," The woman's voice was somewhat amused, "this was the only way that you would be able to reach your full potential. Rhenna was a necessary sacrifice. What you have done has appeased our Lord." The woman smiled maliciously, revealing what few teeth she still had. Ignis shouted loudly, lunging forward, the air around her hand binding with her as she struck the woman in the chest, launching her backward. The woman's body became motionless as her bones became dust, dying instantly.

Ignis fled the ruins hastily, running as quick as she could northeast, wanting to escape the horror that had occurred. It reminded her of that day, of what happened to her. Of how the men used her to cause pain her father, made him watch helplessly as they... Hurt her... And now men had done that again, this time to Rhenna, the only one who had shown her any affection.

When the young teen finally stopped running, she was in a place covered in snow, the air pale with frost and mist. Ignis looked up toward the sky, crying out loudly as she blacked out.

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Ignis woke suddenly, sweating, burying his head into his pillow, shaking his head over and over, telling himself it was over.


End file.
